Frank DeKova

            On Friday after midnight I lint-rolled the curtains between the bedroom and the living room, the top of my bed and the pillow and picked up a few of bedbugs from the curtains. I shook out my sheet and comforter on the deck. I went to bed at 1:30 and slept until 3:00 when I got up to pee, then slept until 4:30 and peed again, then slept until the 5:00 alarm. After yoga there were a couple of bedbugs stuck to the carpet tape on my mattress and a few on the walls and on the baseboards around my bed. 

            I finished memorizing “Yes Man” by Serge Gainsbourg. On Saturday I’ll start working out the chords. I think it’s a pretty simple song and since it has no chorus it should be pretty easy to chord. 

            I went over to Home Hardware and bought two rolls of carpet tape. I worked on my letter to the landlord about the bedbugs. Not that I think the letter will convince him, but it’s so I can show to the authorities a dated letter containing all the facts of his negligence. 

            I weighed 91.1 kilos before lunch. 

            In the afternoon I took a bike ride downtown and back. 

            I weighed 90.8 kilos at 18:15. 

            I was caught up in my journal at 18:48. 

            I digitized a cassette of a recording session I did at Cherry Beach Studios. I went there with Tom Smarda because Rocky Capano invited us. Rocky was paying for the session with his inheritance money. He handed me some lyrics and asked me to sing them so I made up a melody on the spot. I also got to record my song “Me and Gravity” with professional musicians though it wasn’t the sound I envisioned for that song.

            I worked on digitally enhancing one of my old photos. 

            I had a potato with gravy and a chicken leg while watching episode 7 of Daniel Boone. 

            Major Peter Wellington of the British army and two Wyandot: Pushta, and Charlie Crow approach a cabin in the distance. Charlie points out Daniel Boone’s home. Peter pays him and says this must be a secret, then Pushta kills Charlie. 

            Peter walks up to the cabin and introduces himself to Boone. He says that two British soldiers have been captured by the Wyandot and he needs his help to rescue them. Boone agrees for humanitarian reasons. 

            They walk together into Wyandot territory and when they reach the cliff that overlooks the Wyandot village, Peter knocks Boone out. He takes Boone’s clothing and then rolls Boone off the cliff into the water. 

            Peter puts on Boone’s clothes and walks into the Wyandot village announcing that he is Daniel Boone (But when he was walking with Boone he was visibly smaller so it’s very unlikely his clothes would fit as well as what he’s wearing fits). He tells Chief Talakum that he is Daniel Boone and what he’s heard about Boone fighting for the colonies against the British is false. He offers a rifle for every Wyandot who takes the British side in the colonial war. 

            When Talakum is not there Peter pays Pushta for helping him. 

            But then they hear a commotion outside and look to see Daniel Boone wearing Major Wellington’s jacket and walking into the village. He says he’s Daniel Boone. 

            Talakum has the two white men compete in a trial of fire. They have a tug of war on each side of a bonfire. Each one almost pulls the other into the fire but then the fire finally cuts through the rope. Then they have a knife fight with one knife and Boone wins but doesn’t kill him. Then they have a marksmanship contest and Boone wins as well. 

            Talakum is convinced and now wants to kill Peter, but by this time Boone’s friends Mingo and Tad have arrived and they help to convince Talakum to let them take Peter with them. They take him to the cliff and tell him to jump, so he does. 

            Later Peter sends his sword as a gift to Boone’s son Israel and Peter is now a corporal. 

            Talakum was played by Frank DeKova, who gave up his career as a school teacher to become an actor. He made his Broadway debut in Detective Story and was discovered by Elia Kazan. He made his film debut in Viva Zapata in 1952. He co-starred in The Mechanic, and Heavy Traffic. He co-starred in 63 episodes of F-Troop.